Gojirathon 24: Gojira X Megagirasu: Jî shômetsu sakusen (2000)

G: minus 4 days

Gojirathon is me just writing up some thoughts about the movies I see while I conduct my little marathon of Godzilla-movies in anticipation of the new Hollywood retooling. Why Gojirathon and not Godzillathon? Well, because Rolfe already did his Godzillathon as part of his Monster Madness, and I don’t want to steal his work. I’ll be using the terms, G, Big G, Godzilla and Gojira somewhat interchangeably… since I can be a bit lazy at times, when it comes to these things.

Godzilla vs Megaguirus (2000)

Hahaha. I didn’t remember this one. And I probably should have. Since this is the first one to return more to the Showa-roots. Even more than the Doctor-Who-esque part with King Ghidorah. Here Godzilla goes back to his flamboyant wrestling-style roots. Though not from the start.

At the start we get the back-story of how… You know what? No. I take it back. This is Showa-esque from the start. For in the beginning we get a flashback sequence containing an alternate history where the first Godzilla event happened in 1954. Then basically nothing until 1966. Both times Godzilla went for nuclear power plants. The Japanese quickly figured out the pattern and basically banned the use of nuclear energy of any sort. So instead they focused on various sources of “clean energy”, but the demands of the public need for electricity was too great. So they finally devised what they call “Plasma Energy”. A form of clean fusion-reaction. But apparently clean enough according to Godzilla who proceeded to raid the plant in 1996. And this is when a female soldier gets her superior officer killed in the line of duty. Though it’s not really her fault. She get’s his position and now (the present, year 2000) she recruits a tech-wiz from Akihabara to help on their new anti-Godzilla weapon… The Black Hole Gun.

Yes. We have reached a point where humans have been forced to produce a weapon that can summon and fling the most destructive force known in the universe. But it’s reach is limited and the hole itself is just two meters across. So during the test-firing (which they of course do towards a school usually filled with children, because, what could possibly go wrong) they disintegrate a grade-school and applaud their success. Finally a weapon that Godzilla cannot possibly survive!

Ok, I will ignore the un-feasibility of the creation of these kinds of black holes. But with the throwaway line of “This was made possible because of the invention Plasma-Energy technology). And instead go directly to another problem. They plan to, and eventually do, mount this flinger of ultimate destruction on a space-satellite with the only promise of “We will only use it for Godzilla. Cross our hearts and hope to die, smiley-face”. There is a reason that there is an international ban on space-stationed nukes. And I can hardly imagine that neither the US or Russia would let this one slip. That weapon alone is cause for concern for the whole global international stability. But ok. They probably built it in secret for this reason and won’t let the weapon fire where Americans or Russians can see it.

But a small kid did see it. He was on his way to that school when he was stopped by the G-Graspers (the anti-Godzilla-force of the film) and later on he discovers a strange egg that he decides to take with him to their new home in Osaka (the new capital of Japan after the 1996 incident).

That egg eventually spawns the titular Megagurius who is at first a swarm of insects but eventually one of them grows to Godzilla-size and the fighting can commence. And the fight is refreshingly filled with wrestling-moves not seen in the films since the Showa-era. One of the first big moves Godzilla does is a full on body-slam. And it continues from there as he battles the adversary and eventually wins.

So about that Black Hole Gun. They manage to get two shots out of it. while in orbit. First after they have lured Godzilla onto a deserted island. And then they manage to get off a shot as the satellite plumets toward the ground. First shot missed. Second was caught by Godzillas eyes and he proceeded to blast it with his atomic breath. When the smoke settles Godzilla is nowhere to be seen. They take this as a total kill. And we get the concluding scenes wrapping things up.

But just as the credits are about to roll we see the Wiz back in Akihabara and the soldier again recruiting him as they have seen traces of what could be a survived Godzilla. The film ends in this slight ambiguity, but as the credits finish rolling we get a final piece of film. And it finally ends with the kid staring off in the distance and we hear the famous roar. Nice.

I think I have brought this up before. But this franchise really do feel a bit like the Marvel-films of today. We have these characters in this interconnecting universe and monsters that are introduced in other films get cross-featured in other films. And now we even get a post-credit scene.

Yes I really enjoyed this one. And now I will have to really concentrate on finishing this. I got four films left until Wednesday and I cannot watch films on Monday and Tuesday. So. I’ll have to watch them all by the time of the pub-quiz I’m attending tomorrow night. Wish me luck!